English Premier League could play matches in the United States
English Premier League could play matches abroad
Premier League matches could be coming to the United States if proposals for some matches to be played abroad gain momentum. It is a suggestion that has been put forward before, but this time Premier League chiefs are confident of gaining the support of the clubs to make this happen.
The idea is based around the huge popularity of the Premier League around the world. In the build up to this season English clubs attracted huge attendances at pre-season friendlies.
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Manchester United’s game against European champions Real Madrid in Michigan attracted a record crowd for America of 109,318 and their entire tour of the US had a great following from thousands of fans who got the opportunity to watch their favorite players in person.
Currently, each Premier League team plays 38 games in the season and the original proposal was to play a 39th game abroad. This idea was met with resistance and the new proposal is to keep the number of games at 38, but play one or two of these at stadiums around the world.
It will bring the game to a global audience and mirrors what the NBA and NFL have started doing, with their games in London (and in the NBA’s case, several other countries as well).
Questions surrounding the logistics of such a move have yet to be addressed in these early stage discussions, with the Premier League setting a target of having their ambition realized within the next decade. Proposals of this magnitude as subject to a huge amount of votes and checks and it will take time for any decision to be made.
Deciding on which of the 38 games a club plays abroad is a big factor, as are aspects such as travel and conditions. It will be key to balance out all these factors to ensure that the games that are played abroad do not affect to fairness of the Premier League.
Nonetheless it is a proposal that should have fans of the Premier League tremendously excited about the potential global expansion of one of the top leagues in the world. If clashes between high-profile Premier League teams came to the States, where there were some of the world’s bets players on show, you could he sure of crowds in excess of 100,000.
The largest stadium used in the Premier League is Manchester United stadium Old Trafford, which has a capacity of 68,000.
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